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SALT LAKE CITY -- Air travelers may notice new security screening procedures for children under the age of 12 beginning today.
The Transportation Security Administration says history shows children under 12 pose little security risk by leaving their shoes on. So starting today, those children no longer will have to take off their shoes when going through security checkpoints, unless they are setting off the metal detector and the alarm can't be solved with multiple passes through the metal detector or body scanner.
Vera Adams, director of TSA federal security said, "If it does alarm and multiple passes doesn't resolve, we might ask the parents to remove the shoes and put them through the x-ray. Or we may bring them through and then we can use explosive trace detection methods to ensure that there are no explosives on the shoes or other part of the body."
These changes to security screenings for children don't mean the end of pat downs. TSA agents may still perform pat downs on children if the agent feels it's necessary after the child has been through other security screenings.
TSA says the changes should speed up the security screening process, especially for parents with young children.
"Those parents that have multiple children, and sometimes the screening process can be a little chaotic for a large family, this will help them out by being able to keep their shoes on their children," Adams said. "I think they will notice a difference, and I think they'll appreciate it."
The changes are to help improve the screening experience for the traveling public.
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